How to Choose a Safe for your Home and Business
Safes are among the most secure ways to safeguard your valuable items. In order to find the ideal safe for your home or business, here are a few tips you should consider before making a purchase:
Size of Safe
The size of safe required depends on the type of contents you will be storing such as cash, heirloom items, jewellery, paper documents and more. Larger items like laptops, other media will need more room.
By identifying the contents, this will help to determine the required internal dimensions as safes are often smaller than they appear due to the thickness of the safe walls. A larger safe may be a better option in the long term as you might have more items to add at a later date and replacing your safe in a few years is inconvenient.
Fire Rating
The fire rating of your safe is based on the amount of time the safe can withstand extreme temperatures. This is an indication of the level of fire resistance, and the items that can be protected. Consumers looking for fire protection should consider a safe that has been tested by certified test houses such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or The European Certification Boards of Security, Fire & Life Safety (ECB•S).
A certified safe such as Chubbsafes are often a better investment as it is tested for function and durability by the recognised test houses to ensure the products fulfil your security expectations and meet insurance standards. They are submitted to test with extreme resistance requirements against burglary, fire, firearms or explosives.
Cash Rating
Cash ratings represent the maximum amount to which an insurance company will cover the contents of a safe. Depending on the value of items to be stored, it helps to determine the cash rating required. Safes normally have a cash rating which varies from $1000 to $100,000. This means the safe is insured to hold cash up to that rating.
It’s always best to check with your insurer before you buy and install a safe. Some insurers may only approve certain makes and models, check with your local insurer to find out.
Locking System
The most common locking systems are key, combination, digital or biometric locks. Most of this all comes down to a simple choice – which do you prefer? Some people like to have a key as they feel it is more secure. But digital locks are getting more popular as it provides greater convenience and speed. Also, a well maintained key lock will outlive an electronic lock. Quality, certified key locks can also be more reliable over some of the cheaper lock options.
The level of security you'll need for your lock depends on your budget and its intended use.
Location of Safe
There is no “best” location to install a safe, it is an important decision that you will need to make based on your needs and convenience. For instance, the most common location to install a home safe is in a bedroom or inside a built in wardrobe. The most secure place to install a safe would be a hard-to-reach place to keep it out of unwelcome hands.
We’re always ready to help select the suitable solutions to protect your valuable assets. Get in touch with one of our team today for a non-obligation quote.